Washtub attachment.



W. J. MINNS.

WASHTUB ATTAOHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED $22125, 1907.

Patented Apr, 25, 1911 ATTOHN Y8 ms mmms FETKRS cm, WA-SHING7ON, n. c.

TlNTTED %TATE% PATENT @FFTQE WALTER J. MINNS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO SPAGESAVIITG- APPLIANCE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WASHTUIB ATTACHMENT.

Application filed September 25, 1907.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER J. MINNS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVashtub Attachments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates more particularly to an attachment for dividing a washtub or other receptacle transversely thereof into independent compartments.

The main purpose of the invention is to 4 provide a simple and efficient device or attachment which is complete in itself and independent of the receptacle, and which may be readily attached thereto whether made of wood, stone, porcelain or of any other material, without changing the receptacle in any way whatever except so far as is necessary to hold the device within the receptacle; which device may be readily detached from the receptacle as a whole or as to certain parts thereof; which makes the receptacle thoroughly sanitary so that the parts may be readily cleaned, thereby avoiding the collection of waste and other objectionable matter, and which is so constructed that the gate serving to divide the receptacle into compartments may be made to form a perfect sealing and water-tight contact.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, effective and inexpensive device which has a bodily movable division gate and means operatively connected therewith and supported on the device whereby the gate may be made to form separate and independent water-tight compartments within the receptacle in such a way that said gate and its fastening means may be entirely removed to adapt the receptacle either as a bath or as a washtub having independent compartments as occasion may require.

l/Vith these and other objects in View, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a general perspective view of one form of device be- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1211.

Serial No. 394,486.

fore it is applied to the receptacle. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the receptacle showing the device in side elevation; and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line TIITII of Fig. 1.

The receptacle may indicate a washtub, bath or other water containing means and may be of any desired form and of any suitable material, and may have the usual or any preferred form of drainage or discharge for the waste. Adapted to be attached t0 the inner surface thereof is a device or attachment 11. This device has a substantially U-shaped skeleton frame 12 comprising two upright members 13 and 14 and a horizontal member or base 15 in the form of a single bar and which conforms to the shape of the interior surface of the receptacle 10. The frame 12 is provided with apertures 16 through which bolts or screws 17 are adapted to pass and by means of nuts rigidly held within the receptacle intermediate the ends thereof, and between the abutting faces of the receptacle and the frame may be provided with cement or other means if necessary to form a tight joint.

The frame 12 is provided with a groove 18 substantially centrally of the members and extending lengthwise thereof, and slidingly held on the frame so as to be readily removable therefrom is a gate 19. This gate 19 is provided with a groove 20 along its vertical and lower edges formed by the flanges 21 and 22 of said gate. In the groove or recess 20 is a tubular gasket or packing 23 which extends around the edges of the gate and is bent over at the top and fastened securely by wire or otherwise to the upper edge of the gate. The packing may be of rubber and is of any suitable form.

As shown, it is cylindrical in cross-section and is adapted to fit in the groove 18 of the frame so as to slide vertically therein, and

said frame, as well as the gate, has its vertically disposed parts or members preferably inclined so that the gate when forced downward will act as a wedge and will form a perfect and effective seal between the gate and the frame.

The gate may be cut away, as at 24:, on one side thereof to provide an overflow between the compartments and to form a stop for the movable member 25 of the watersupply attachment 26, so that said movable member 25 may be inclined in either direc- 1* tion to permit hot or cold water or both or any form of receptacle without altering its shape.

To positively lock the division gate and to bodily move the same vertically in the frame 12 and to hold the same in sealing contact therewith I provide a transverse bar 28 whether tubular, solid, round or of any other form, and have one end of said trans verse bar fitting an aperture 29 in one of the vertical members of the frame, and its other end fitting a slot 30 in the other vertical member of said frame so that said bar may be removably held thereto. The central part of the bar may have an aperture which is threaded, and this threaded aperture is engaged by the threaded end of a bolt or rod 81, the upper end of which has an operating handle 32, said bar being in substantially the same vertical plane as the gate and above the upper edge thereof. This screw or bolt 31 may have its lower edge somewhat enlarged and is adapted to engage the upper end of the gate 19, and said enlarged end of the bolt may fit a space between the cleats 33 which removably hold the gate to the end of the bolt. As will be seen when the bolt is rotated the gate may be raised or lowered and the latter positively forced into locking engagement with the frame in such a way that the said gate and locking means may be readily removed to permit the receptacle tobe used as a bath or as a washtub with independent compartments.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple and eflicient attachment or device complete in itself is provided and which may be sold separately and be readily attached to a Washtub, bath-tub or like receptacle, so as to form water-tight compartments therein; that said device provides a ready means for securing a positive and effective seal and water-tight joint between the parts forming the compartments; that said device may be applied to various forms of washtubs or receptacles without altering their general construction, as it is only necessary to make the skeleton frame conform to the shape of the inner surface of the receptacle; that the parts, whether on account of injury or other reasons may be readily replaced if necessary, and that said device is thoroughly sanitary in its arrangement and construction.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as .new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An attachment for tubs comprising a frame of substantially a U-shape and having grooves formed on the inner surface of the vertical arms of said frame, a gate provided with a packing detachably secured in said grooves and means for clamping the gate within said frame.

2. A receptacle attachment comprising a frame conforming in shape to the cross sectional contour of the receptacle to which it is to be attached, said frame formed with grooves on its inner surface, a gate provided with a packing and detachably secured within said grooves, and means for clamping the gate in position consisting of a bar detachably secured to the upper ends of said frame and a screw extending through said bar and bearing upon the upper edge of said gate,

3. an attachment for tubs, comprising a frame of substantially a U-shape and having a continuous groove on its inner surface, a gate provided with a packing secured to its bottom and side edges and having its ends secured thereto detachably secured in the groove of said frame, and cut away at one end for the purpose described, and means for clamping the gate within said frame.

4. An attachment for tubs, comprising a substantially U-shaped frame formed on its inner surface with a continuous groove, a gate fitting said groove, a bar detachably secured to the upper ends of said frame and formed with a threaded opening, a screw extending through said opening and means on the upper edge of said gate for engaging said screw.

This specification signed and witnessed this 21st day of September A. D. 1907.

vVAIJllYR J. MINNS.

Vitnesses:

M. TURNER, E. D. ELLIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

